Missing

Zuko stood at the window of the small teashop. The rain splashed down the window; leaving tear marks down the glass that the exiled prince had just cleaned earlier in the day. But this was not the reason for the stress lines on Zuko's face. Nor was it the fact that it was past midnight and he was still locking up the shop. No, the problem was that Zuko's uncle was missing. Had been missing since noon.

"Agni, please have him come home soon," the boy muttered before returning moodily back to his broom.

If there was one thing the prince hated, he hated chores. He hated being reminded that he was the one serving and not the one being served. Lately, he had been doing one servant like deed after another, every day; he had been dusting when his Uncle Iroh had left at noon. Zuko had expected the old man to be back in an hour or two, at least by the time of the mad rush for teatime.

But it was midnight and his uncle was still nowhere to be seen.

The candles in the lanterns flickered menacingly, spreading long shadows in the deserted shop. It all felt foreboding. But Zuko was a prince, a fire bender, and he was not going to be afraid of being alone in the abandoned teashop. Still, he could not hide the fact that he jumped out of his skin when a crash of thunder resonated through Ba-Sing-Se.

Another crash followed, this time coming from the back door in the kitchen. Zuko dropped his broom and grabbed a small dagger concealed in his clothes. He hated not being able to use fire bending to defend himself, so the least he could do was protect himself with a weapon. He approached the back door cautiously as more crashing sounds came from the kitchen.

When he reached the kitchen, the door was bashed open and two figures lay on the ground. In the background he heard members of the Dai Li calling to each other, obviously in pursuit of the two figures now lying on the ground of his kitchen.

Without looking at the unconscious figures, the prince made a quick decision and shut and locked the door. As angry as he was with the two intruders for disturbing his peace, he disliked the Dai Li even more.

With the lock bolted, Zuko turned to examine the two men on the ground. Kneeling, the boy was shocked to recognize his uncle, an exhausted look on his sleeping face. Beside him was a tanned boy, a little younger than Zuko. He wanted to examine the boy more closely, but he could tell that his uncle needed immediate attention. In an admirable feat, Zuko carried Iroh to their apartment located above the shop.

The warm heat woke the old man up. He found himself in bed, facing his nephew who slept in a chair beside him. Iroh smiled at Zuko's kindness and anxiety. Although Zuko had fallen asleep being worried, his face now shown in a peaceful light that made Iroh smile. If only Zuko could always be like that. With a groan, the old man sat up and tapped Zuko on the shoulder. His nephew was instantly awake.

"Uncle! How are you? What happened? Who is that boy?" Zuko instantly interrogated.

Iroh listened calmly, responding in the same tone. "I am fine. I will tell you everything in time. But first, is the boy ok?"

Zuko bit his lip. "I'll be right back," he said, getting up and running down the kitchen. To an odd relief, the boy was still lying unconscious. At least he was not missing.

It wasn't till he got nearer that the prince noticed a small pool of blood surrounding the young boy.

Hope you liked it! Learn who the mysterious boy is in the next chapter!! Read and Review. Much love